Even the Washington Post is getting into winter drinks right about now. I’ve had a winter drink on my mind for a while now.
I knew from the get-go what I wanted to combine – bourbon and vanilla. A lot of bourbons have a vanilla taste to them, and bourbon is one of my favorite liquors. I also have found as I got older that I truly appreciate the flavor of vanilla more and more, so I wanted something to accent the two of them together.
At first I tried putting them together using vanilla extract and orange flavor. The orange took over and gave the drink a taste more appropriate for an Orange Julius, perhaps, and definitely something more familiar to summertime than a cold Virginia winter. I wanted something that would be refreshing, yet warm you up on the inside. That didn’t mean the drink itself needed to be hot, however.
I took out the orange, and later, the vanilla extract when I realized it was giving an unpleasant alcohol tang to the drink.
I wanted to wait to post the drink until around the weekend, but with the WaPo‘s article today, I couldn’t resist. I just had to come up with the final bit: the name. You see, names are my weakness – I have a hard time coming up with titles for my stories, names for characters, etc.
But I’ve gotten one. And I don’t care if you like it or not, I like it, and I like me!
The Winter’s Kiss
2 ounces bourbon
3/4 ounce vanilla vodka
1/2 ounce rich simple syrup
2 dashes Fee’s Mint Bitters
Shake in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Alternatively, depending on the type of bourbon you’re using, you can make a variant of this. For The Winter’s Kiss I was using Maker’s Mark. For the following drink, I’d suggest something a bit stronger – Buffalo Trace, perhaps (90 proof), or another stronger tasting whiskey.
The Winter’s Flip
2 1/2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce vanilla schnapps
1/2 ounce rich simple syrup
3 dashes Fee’s Mint Bitters
one egg white
Shake in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
The latter hasn’t been experimented with as much; if I muck around with it a bit more this week/weekend, I’ll let you know – but if you try it first, please, let me know!
If you’re the type that needs to garnish a drink with something, I’d suggest a twist of orange. A mint leaf or a single vanilla bean might work, too, though I’d be careful with the latter that it doesn’t overwhelm the taste of bourbon.
